Singing Along the Journey

Hebrew Bible

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More

Breaking the silence with another’s words…

Yesterday, as I worked cleaning out the garden and preparing it for the winter ahead, I had to pull out a plant that I had nurtured for at least six years.  Years ago, at a local garden center, there were bargain plants in these tiny blue boxes for $0.99.  At the time, I really didn't understand much about gardening and so I thought that I would buy four or five different ones and that would be enough.  I did not know anything about arranging plants or about how far they might spread when they grew, etc. and so forth.  And from that tiny, tiny blue box, eventually, a six foot…
Read More

Lions, lambs, cows and bears…Advent 2013 Day 21

Lately, I've been introduced to an interpretative school known as the canonical approach to biblical interpretation.  In the canonical method of reading, the Scripture is treated not as some source document to be picked apart and dissected by scholars of all kind, but as a canon of writings that together talk of the experience of people across the ages as they try to live together in a community of faith. There is much that the scholars can say about this text, as there is most of the text in Isaiah, but sometimes you simply have to surrender to the beauty of the poetry and of the metaphors used to carry…
Read More

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened…Advent 2013 Day 16

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty…
Read More

Waiting…or not…

Perhaps it is the simple fact that I have spent much of the second half of the year 2013 in some sort of state of waiting or expectancy -- what is wrong, is the diagnosis correct, should I get the surgery, waiting for the surgery, having the surgery, waiting through recovery -- but I just cannot find that waiting and watching spirit that is supposed to be the hallmark of the Advent season. So today, I'm not going to engage with text from the Lectionary cycle; I'm not going to tackle a text from that lovely Advent calendar I have been using -- today I am not going to engage…
Read More

God with us…

On this tenth day of our journey through Advent, we return to the book of Psalms and read together Psalm 46. Like so many of the Psalms, this one contains one of those phrases that speaks to us down the ages, particularly when we think about our relationship with God..."be still, and know that I am God": God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make…
Read More

Listen carefully…

I am a person inspired by tradition.  My original academic training was all about tradition - first I studied medieval history and then ancient history and then archaeology.  I worked as a librarian, preserving the written works and the documents that make up our cultural tradition.  I studied classical music and worked as a recitalist and an opera singer:  again, an art dependent on and preserving of tradition (with apologies to my friends who are living composers).  And now what do I do?  I attend seminary, studying and learning about what many consider to be the most tradition-bound subject of all -- church, and yes, even GOD. Tradition, continuity with…
Read More

A Tale of the Other (Part 2)…

Yesterday we wrapped up our sermon series on the "Men of Judges" with a most amazing talk by our beloved Allyson Robinson.  If you were not there, you should read it/listen to it here, because you will never hear a more eloquent and to the point summation of why we as Christians have an obligation to study and know all the stories of the Bible, including ones as awful as that of the Benjamanite bachelors in Judges 19. And even though I put down the book of Judges a week ago to move on to other studies, some thoughts left over my own storytelling have remained.  You see, one of…
Read More

A Tale of the Other

So today we continue talking about the men of Judges and we ponder the question: why should we read these stories and what might they say to us today. We've heard about Gideon, Samson, Ehud and Jephtha…but you might have noticed that it is getting harder and harder to talk about the “men of Judges” without talking about “the women” around them…Samson AND Dalila, Jephtha AND his daughter… My assignment for today is to talk about Sisera—Sisera, who is not a Judge, not even an Israelite.  Sisera was the enemy. Sisera was the oppressor.  Sisera was an outsider. Sisera was the loser.  Sisera gets murdered.  By a woman. There are…
Read More

Living the dream…

Each day on our journey here in Israel has been, for me, a day of dream fulfillment.  But none so much as the last two days, and in particular today.   I can still see the room where the orientation meeting for my first try at going to Israel was held at the University of Missouri - Kansas City when I was 20 years old -- I can see Dr. Schulz and Dr. Klausner talking about what the trip would be like.  And I can remember the feeling of disappointment when the trip was cancelled for some reason that I do not recall.  And I can remember just this last fall my feeling…
Read More

And it was all good…

The past couple of days on our Israel journey have been spent in the desert:  Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea...and En Gedi (or more correctly, Ein Gedi -- the spring of the goats).  If you are a Hebrew Bible geek like myself, the name En Gedi conjures pictures of an oasis amid the desert, where vineyards grow (as in Song of Songs 1:14) , where warriors rest (1 Samuel 24), and where battles are fought (Genesis 14:7, 2 Chronicles 20:2, and Joshua 15:62).  Today, En Gedi is surrounded by barren desert and forests of date palms, but the waterfalls still flow and the craggy rocks are climbed by tourists and…
Read More